Barophobia
by Flashing The Floods
Summary: So they were in a relationship. Dating. A thing. It certainly wasn't something Melody expected, but she liked to think it fit. Crappy, crappy attempt at drabblish-type Castiel/Melody fluff. Written for Paradoxical Weather Girl.


**Author's Note: More Castiel/Melody drabble-ish type crap for Paradoxical Weather Girl. Crap punctuation. Crap detail. Crap everything. Sequel to Arachibutyrophobia that easily stands alone. Some of these are longer than others because I am an inconsistent shithead. References to my other crap everywhere because I'm uncreative. Hope you like it, Doxy. But yeah, if not, I can redo it and whatnot. **

**Oh, and beware of some cursing and _pervy_ crap ahead. Hence le rating o.e'**

* * *

He kissed her. She kissed him. They did things together. That meant they were dating, right?

People at school noticed. They asked her if she was dating Castiel. She always struggled with a reply and usually put on a smile and said something along the lines of "we're together." She never actually used the word 'dating.'

Because to tell the truth, Melody didn't know if they were dating or not. Castiel never verbally asked her out. He just sort of noticed she liked him. And must've liked her back, because now they kissed and did things together. Well, not intimate things exactly. Not yet anyway, but things that friends did.

Only with the kind of passionate, messy kissing that friendly friends didn't usually partake in.

So one night when they broke away from one such particular kiss, faces flushed and lips bruised, Melody on Castiel's lap with her hands cupped around the back of his neck, she finally just asked. "Are we dating?"

Castiel gave her an odd look, scarlet brows knitting together. "What?"

"You and me. We're dating, aren't we?" Melody asked quietly.

"Are you serious?" A simper as infuriating as dirt under the fingernails (and yet somehow so handsome) lifted the corners of his lips.

"Yes," she breathed with a trace of exasperation.

"Duh." He snickered and gently flicked her in the head. "Man, Melody. You're slower than Lynn. What else did you think these last five weeks were?"

"Well I wasn't exactly sure," she muttered, feeling quite a bit embarrassed now. "You never specifically asked me out."

"I didn't need to." He brushed his lips over hers with a softness she didn't expect from him.

She returned the gesture with a heated ferocity she scarcely ever initiated.

* * *

So they were in a relationship. Dating. A thing. It was a little funny to think about, a little new for being six weeks old.

Melody mused over it at night while she was in her own bed and wearing nothing but one of Castiel's t-shirts, which is even baggy on him and goes all the way down to the knees on her.

It naturally carries his scent. It smells like fresh cinnamon and clean leather and stale ashtray and one last scent she does recognize, but isn't sure _what_ she recognizes it as. She thought it might the scent of restless guitar playing, as little sense as that makes in her normally practical mind.

She fingered the fraying neckline as she thought about it. As she thought about him. Her practical mind never, ever, ever fathomed she'd be with him. Her practical mind geared her toward dependable, sensible, moderate boys. Her practical mind never thought someone like Castiel could make her happy. But he did.

She hoped she made him happy too. But she liked to think that was a certainty. Why else would he smile at her like that? When his eyes were shining and soft, and his lips were relaxed even though they were spread so wide.

She wondered if dating someone like her was as new to him as dating someone like him was new to her. Not that Melody had loads of experiences with relationships in general. No. There had only been one prior. Iris's brother, and it was a short-lived fling.

Her heart thrummed with the hope that this, so funny and so new and so warm, wouldn't be short-lived.

It feels real, even if Melody can't quite make sense of that that feeling means.

It's the first time such an emotion has stirred up in her. She wonders if Castiel feels like that too. She wonders if it's also the first time.

* * *

Consciously or unconsciously or what's in between, she started to notice the firsts.

Like the first time he took her out to eat and paid for her food.

"I've been coming to this place for awhile," he informed her as he led her over the quaint café's threshold and the bell on the door dinged behind them. "Lysander sings here sometimes."

"Does he?" Melody looked around, cerulean pools tracing the designs in the chestnut wallpaper and the hanging lamps over each table. "It's really nice in here."

"I thought you'd like it." He cracked a grin and led her to a small booth.

She scooted in across from him and flipped through the menu, inhaling the aroma of coffee beans. "This place is almost a little fancy," she told him with a faintly teasing smile. "I'm surprised you knew about it."

"Are you saying I can't be fancy?" He scoffed and absentmindedly spun the menu on the tabletop.

"You don't really give off that impression, no." She giggled and her eyes softened fondly.

He breathed a chuckle and then the waitress came, taking their orders. Melody got a hot chocolate and a sliver of poundcake. Castiel got a black coffee and nothing else, but of course he ended up stealing half of her cake when the order was brought over. That was alright though. He looked cute with crumbs on his mouth and even cuter when Melody told him so.

She took out her wallet when the bill arrive, fully expecting to pay for her order.

Castiel paid before she even fished the money from its pocket and she simply looked at him, blinking mutely.

"What?" He lifted a brow.

"Oh, nothing." She shook her head and put her wallet away, grin on her lips.

* * *

She saw him worried for the first time.

He missed a day of school. He was probably just skipping out again for the heck of it, as he often did that much to Melody's ire. But he didn't reply when she texted him, which was odd. And when she asked Lysander, he said he hadn't talked to him, which was odder.

When school ended and there was no reply to her second text, she decided to go to his house. She was probably just worrying about nothing, but it never hurt to check.

Melody walked to his house at a brisk pace and rapped on the door with her knuckles.

For one long moment, there was no answer. But then she heard the flick of a lock and the door creaked open, Castiel occupying the vacancy. "Hey," he mumbled. His face was a few shades too pale, bottom lip a few shades of red too bright. She took a closer look and saw it was blood and that his teeth were still chewing it.

"You missed school." She frowned and lifted a hand, pressing the back of it to his cheek with half-affection and half-inquiry. "You don't look so good. Are you sick?"

"No. Demon is." He sighed and took her hand, lowering it from his face as his fingers wound around hers. He shuffled back in and pulled her along with the correct assumption she was coming in.

Melody's eyes skimmed the living room and settled on big black-brown lump on the couch. Demon would normally be hopping down and sprinting up to her, bumping her with his hefty snout and wagging his dangerous flail of a tail. He always got excited when people came to the door, no matter how many times he may have previously sniffed and welcomed them into his domain. But now he didn't even raise his head.

Melody's heart throbbed for the poor canine, looking so lethargic and morose. "Do you know what's wrong?"

"No." Castiel heaved a sigh and plopped down in front of the couch. He stroked Demon's massive head with care, nervous frown twisting his lips and brow wrinkled with concern. "He hasn't eaten anything since last night, not even his favorite treat. He did have some water, but not enough."

"Oh." Melody crossed the stretch of living room and sat down next to Castiel, cerulean orbs fixing Demon with sympathy. "Poor boy." She patted his flank, especially gentle.

"I'm gonna take him to the vet if he's not any better tomorrow. I almost took him today, but I just don't wanna drag him off to get jabbed at and poked if it's something that's gonna pass, you know?" Castiel continued stroking Demon, murmuring soothing things to the dog under his breath.

"I'll come with you, if you have to take him," Melody offered softly. "Hopefully you won't."

He nodded agreeably, perhaps even infinitesimally comforted by this notion. He didn't say much else for the rest of the night altogether, and didn't abandon his vigilant post beside Demon even once. Melody stayed late into the night, her presence quiet and still. She petted Demon and hummed to him, one hand loosely clasped around Castiel's. She only left when she knew she had to get home or else face her parents' wrath, and kissed both of them on the forehead before departing.

Luckily, whatever bug that had the poor dog feeling so ill indeed passed. It was gone by the morning and he was back to running around outside and rolling in the grass. Castiel skipped another day to keep an eye on him, just in case. Melody stopped by after school, carrying a folder of missed assignments for the redhead and a rawhide bone for the canine. Castiel wasn't remotely as psyched about his gift as Demon was about his, but he was so obviously more relaxed than the prior night that Melody couldn't bring herself to scold him.

* * *

Melody suspected whatever Demon had was communicable with humans. Not even a week later, Castiel was sick and sick _bad_. The first time Melody had seen him sick, really, save for the time he had a chest cold back when he was still giving her guitar lessons. But that was nothing compared to this.

His eyes weren't just glassy, they were glass itself. Blank, shiny, marbly glass. His complexion was chalk white aside from the twin blots of scarlet flush on his face. His clammy fingers were freezing when they slipped into her grasp, but the rest of him was boiling at a temperature tangibly too hot. Mere standing had him disoriented and leaning on Melody like a human crutch. He was plagued with cold sweats that left him so drenched he'd changed four times, and Melody finally insisted he strip himself down to his underwear just to save himself a load of laundry (had the situation been anything other than what it was, her cheeks would've burned).

That was another thing that was bothering her; he was obeying. She insisted and he followed her counsel without any resistance, comment, argument, or crack about her bossiness whatsoever. He was being downright docile, and that was simply not normal. She got a thermometer under his tongue with no challenge or any qualm that it was unnecessary. Its beeping broke into the air and she extracted it with just as absent opposition. The tiny digital numbers were unnerving.

"Oh Cas, that's high..." She tucked the thermometer into her skirt pocket with a heavy sigh and pushed back his damp hair, mouth set into a deep frown of concern. "I'm starting to think you should see a doctor."

"M'kay." He shifted his position on the couch slightly, worming further under the layers of blankets. He only seemed half-awake and Melody didn't prod him for further response. She shuffled her weight from foot to foot, unsure of how to handle this situation. After a few moments she searched the medicine cabinet in the bathroom for something, anything, an aspirin, a painkiller, an antibiotic. It made no sense to do this, as Melody had already searched it this morning, but why not double-check?

She found zilch. She thought about going out and buying some medicine, but the thought of leaving Castiel alone when he was like this made her uneasy. She considered calling Lysander, knowing he would help in a heartbeat, but then remembered that Lysander had lost his phone. And his notebook. And his highlighter. And likely a number of other things. Melody flipped through her contacts, scanning to see if there was anyone else she could call on.

It struck her that the very last person who would want to was also someone who owed her a favor. She pushed his name and crossed her fingers, hoping for an answer.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Nathaniel. How are you?"

"Fine. Yourself?" He seemed cheerful. That meant she caught him in a good mood. Perhaps this would work.

"Not so great," she sighed and went on to explain about Castiel being sick and very tactfully asked if he would mind bringing medicine. She would reimburse him of course, even tip him extra because she knew how much he wouldn't want to.

"You're kidding, right?" Cheerful went to loathing in a matter of moments.

"I'm not! Please, Nath? Please? I always help you out. Anything you've ever asked of me, I did for you." She didn't have control over the desperation leaking into her tone and urgently hoped she didn't sound like she was whining. She didn't mean to, but she was genuinely worried about her boyfriend here and at a loss for what to do.

"Does he know you're asking me to come to his house?" Frustration, a lack of an answer. It meant he was considering, if begrudgingly.

"No. But he won't care, he's really out of it. So out of it, he probably won't even notice you're here and it's not like you have to stay. Please. I'll make it up to you somehow."

Nathaniel grumbled resignation and hung up, arriving at the doorstep just a little over a half-hour later with a bag in hand. Melody ushered him in and practically tackled him with gratitude. "Thank you so much! I knew you'd come through for me!"

Demon bounded over from the kitchen and curiously snuffled Nathaniel's legs, quite visibly to the blonde's chagrin. "I can leave now, right?" He shook off Melody's embrace and awkwardly stepped back from the dog.

"One more thing, since you're already here. Could you compare his temperature to mine? I wanted to check it again, but I forget what I did with the thermometer." Melody sheepishly twirled a lock of wavy brunette around her finger.

Nathaniel practically turned blue with distaste. Nonetheless, he glanced from the pleading Melody the couch-ridden Castiel and let out a sigh. "I can't believe I'm doing this." He shuffled over and gently pushed one hand to Melody's forehead and the other to Castiel's cheek (touching it as little as possible).

"If you're normal, then he's on fire."

Upon being touched, Castiel stirred a little and cracked an eye open, blearily looking up to Nathaniel.

"If you're going to blow up and curse at me for touching you, blame your girlfriend," Nathaniel muttered irritably.

"Nah," hazily mumbled Castiel. "Feels kinda nice." He closed his eye and fell quiet again. Melody and Nathaniel exchanged shocked glances.

"That's pretty close to delirious," Nathaniel concluded, drawing his hands away. "Maybe he's dying." He didn't bother to conceal the note of joy in the suggestion, even for Melody's sake.

"You can leave now," Melody dismissed flatly, not taking kindly to that. He didn't waste time doing so, and she was left alone with the situation at hand once more. She took the box of generic brand acetaminophen out of the bag and popped out a couple of capsules. Then lightly nudged Castiel's shoulder.

"Hm?" He fixed her a distant, half-lidded gaze.

"These are going to make you feel better, okay?" She put the twin pills in his palm and closed his fingers over them. "You've got to sit up to swallow. I'll go get you a glass of water."

"Oh...Thanks." He sluggishly pushed himself to a sit and swallowed them down dry while she was filling the cup. She brought it to him anyway. He sipped it, placed it on the floor, and hit the cushions again, stiffly tugging up the blanket. Melody sat on the floor in front of the couch, remaining there as an attentive guardian of a sort for the rest of the night. She called her parents and told them she was spending the night at Iris's to make sure they wouldn't worry. Lying made her feel gross, but it was a white lie and they would've never approved of her spending the night at any boy's house. No matter what the circumstances.

She dozed here and there throughout the night, but she was too anxious to get any real sleep. Castiel's fever broke a little after one o' clock and it was only then that she decided sleeping was alright. But even so, so she wanted to stay close. She grabbed another throw pillow off an armchair and laid down right where she sat in front of the couch.

Motion Melody didn't call for woke her up. Steady arms lifted Melody from the carpet and lifted her from her doze. She blinked sleepily. "Wha...?"

"You shouldn't sleep on the floor, dumbass," Castiel replied as he carried her off to his bedroom. He peeled back the comforter and set her down on the mattress, covering her up.

"You're feeling better," she breathed in relief, voice thick with sleep.

"Yeah...Thanks for staying." He kissed her cheek and left the room.

* * *

She caught the Demon bug (that might not have actually come from Demon) too, four days after Castiel did. This counted as another unpleasant first in her mind. It was the first time they shared a disease.

Melody's head was spinning on a nonstop pivot and invisible weights coiled around her limbs and made them heavy. Much too heavy to drag herself along like everything was normal, even though she was trying to anyway. Her throat felt as parched and cracked as a desert and her tongue was a floppy, obnoxious obstacle in her mouth. Water simultaneously appealed and didn't appeal because swallowing hurt too much to trouble herself with. Chills racked her spine and she felt cold under the skin, as though her veins were pulsing with ice-water.

She tried to focus on Iris and the words her friend was saying, but it felt like they were falling away in the air between them, too slow to keep up with the turbulent current in Melody's head. Just the very feeling of being so starkly sick was distracting and putting focus on anything was akin to wading through a foggy swamp.

"Melody? Melody are you okay?" Iris gently put a hand on her shoulder, sea-green eyes glittering with concern.

The question reached her, but hazily. Indistinctly. To Melody's straining conscious, it sounded like Iris was asking underwater. "Don't feel well," she mumbled with cloudy earnest.

"Okay. Y'know, you really don't look so good either. I'll take you to the nurse's office." Iris looped her arm over Melody's shoulders and shepherded her down the hallway.

The next thing Melody knew, she was being pushed down onto a cot and told to stay until someone came to pick her up. But that had to be wrong. Both her parents were working. Melody was too exhausted to debate it too much, however. She just closed her eyes and buried her flushed face into the starchy pillow. A gentle jostle of the shoulder pulled her up from the murky depths of a state that wasn't quite sleep shortly later.

"Hey," greeted a worried male voice.

Melody rolled over and looked up to him with glazed eyes. Castiel. "Hi."

He placed a palm on her forehead and exhaled a sigh. "Sorry. This is my fault. I shouldn't have let you come over when I was sick."

"It's fine," Melody murmured quietly, not blaming him or feeling resentful in the least. These kinds of things just happened.

"I'll take you home, okay?"

"Mm?" Melody tilted her head, peering up at him with vague doubt. "Won't you get in trouble for that?"

He offered her a brief ghost of a smile. "Since when do I care about getting in trouble, huh?"

A dim smile flickered over her lips in reply. Castiel helped her stand and draped his jacket over her shoulders. He then scooped her up just like a princess and quite literally carried her out of the school. It felt surreal to her and certainly must've looked very strange. But Melody was too faraway to pay any mind to that. She simply snuggled into his chest and endured.

He didn't put her down until they reached her home. And even then, he gently steered her inside and to her room. She muttered her gratitude and wormed her way under the comforter, relaxing into the down dips in the mattress.

Castiel lingered in the room, absently rubbing at the back of his neck. "Um...Don't you think you should change into something more comfortable?"

Melody looked down at her school clothes and breathed a sigh. "I guess." She sat up even though her tired muscles protested and her throbbing head gyrated in nauseating cycles. She crawled over the bedspread and stretched to the dresser that sat across from the bed. Her sweaty, tired fingers closed around the handle and she pulled open the first drawer, taking out what used to be Castiel's t-shirt and was now her pajamas.

"Could you...Not look?" She asked shyly, glassy cerulean pools shifting to him with a trace of discomfort not caused by her illness. "Not yet."

"Sure." A blush sprung to his cheeks, and he whisked around.

"Actually, um...Could you see if there's any naproxen left in my bathroom?" She didn't want to ask too much of him, but it was awkward to change with him still in the room. She also wanted this incessant spinning and pounding in her head to stop for awhile, but she was so enervated she didn't even feel the will to drag herself that far.

"Of course." Castiel ducked out of the room.

Melody torpidly tugged off her clothes and pulled on the shirt, inhaling his scent as she always did. She went slack on the mattress once more, head hitting the pillow. Only then did she realize she was still wearing barrettes. Oh well. She didn't want to go through the trouble of taking them out. A soft knock at her door alerted her to Castiel's return.

"You can look now," she murmured.

He pushed open the door and shuffled in, bottle of capsules in hand and capped water tucked under his arm. His eyelids fluttered once, twice, when his gaze met her attire. "You kept the shirt I gave you?"

"Mhm." Melody closed her eyes and blindly traced her fingers over the silvery skull printed in the fabric. His lips turned up briefly and then he plopped down on the bed and helped her sit.

"Here." He opened the bottle and popped a pill on her palm, then unscrewing the bottled water and offering them in unison.

Melody swallowed it bitterly and dropped back to the mattress.

Castiel pulled the comforter over her and unclipped the barrettes in her hair. He placed them on the nightstand and tilted his head. "Anything else I can do?"

"No. You should go back to school." Fatigue was swirling below the surface, steadily pulling her under.

"Nah. I'll stay with you until your parents come home."

Melody sank into sleep before she could formulate a coherent reply. But when her mother did rouse her after coming home, fretting over her health and urging her to take another capsule, she noticed that the blinds had fallen off her window. It could only mean that a certain someone had lingered, and then had trouble climbing out.

* * *

The next first in their relationship was much more appealing, even if it started out awkward.

Her back flopped against the futon and she kicked at the covers, wanting them out of the way as Castiel's mouth crushed against hers again and her fingers automatically sought out the hem of his shirt. She tugged at it and toyed with it, not really knowing what to do with it once she had it, and her hands slipped under to creep up his back. Snow cones had been been tonight's treat and she could still taste the artificial watermelon on his tongue.

Heat rippled and crackled between them, and the wet, sloppy sounds of their kissing crowned over any irrelevant background noise. Everything was fast and fervent, but it all came to halt the moment Castiel's fingers slipped past the waistband of her skirt and skimmed the thin, robin's-egg-blue cotton of her underwear. Melody froze as she gasped, and her mouth went rigid against his.

"I'm sorry," he stammered, hand retracting and charcoal depths blinking rapidly. "I thought that—"

"No," she breathed quickly, cutting him off. "You're right. I want to, it's just that I've never...Well, not _never_, but not...Just..." Cerulean pools wavered, scorching embarrassment blazing through her.

His finger gingerly traced her jawline, a touch so tame compared to his kiss. And then he tilted her chin up and she had to meet his eyes.

"I'll be gentle," he promised. And his voice was so thick, so husky, that inexperienced or not, it struck a newfound chord in her and she was quivering with rekindled desire.

"Alright." She nodded and sealed the assertion with another kiss.

His tongue took the invitation to another dance with the faintest ghost of watermelon still remaining. All the while, he tugged down her skirt with sedated fingertips. Melody's heart fluttered with a keen mix of delight and apprehension and her own fingers laced themselves in his hair. They tightened their grip as Castiel's kisses got lower and lower, until he was tugging her underwear off with his teeth and the most sensual kiss she had ever felt was pressed to her inner thigh.

* * *

The first time he took her to go see a movie was very unconventional.

Melody was enjoying the walk with the waning sun on her face and a humid breeze sweeping past. Taking a nice stroll and simply spending time with Castiel could've been a date all by itself, and she got so caught up in it, she didn't even notice something was off until he stopped.

"Um...Castiel?"

"Yeah?"

"The movie theater is on the other side of town."

A crooked grin unfolded on his mouth and his eyes told of a secret. "When did I say we were going to the movie theater?"

"You said we were going to see a movie, so that's what I naturally assumed. Where are we going?" Melody curiously tilted her head to the side.

"There." He pointed to the manhole that lay off in an alleyway just beyond the sidewalk.

"Huh?" Her puzzled nose wrinkled and her brow furrowed, but Castiel was already pulling her along.

He let go of her hand and crouched on the pavement, gripping the grating of the manhole. And to Melody's utter bewilderment, he pulled it up and pushed it off to the side. To her further astonishment, he slid in and started to climb down.

"What are you doing!? Why are you going in the sewer!?" She let out a hiss of gasp and nearly dropped her purse.

"It's not the sewer," he called back up, voice echoing and slightly fainter. She heard his soft grunt and the thud of his feet hitting the ground as he hopped off the ladder. "C'mon, Mel. The movie's down here."

Perplexed and dubious though she was, Melody followed. To her surprise, he was right. It wasn't the sewer. The ladder was cold and rough and slightly dusty against her skin, but there was no grime or murky stench. In fact, the only scent she could pick up was a pleasant one. It was very faint and she almost wasn't certain she was even smelling it, but if she was, then it was the aroma of simmering vegetables. Reaching the end of the ladder, she hopped off and turned to Castiel, barely able to make out his features, it was so dark.

"What is this place?"

"A neat spot some of my friends showed me awhile back. Or rather, the tunnel that leads to it."

Tunnel? Melody's eyes flickered across the shady concrete walls. They were thankfully wide and well over her height. In fact, déjà vu stirred inside as she gazed at them. That's right, she knew what this was. She'd had to study and write a paper all about this place and places just like it for her social studies class. She'd gotten an A-minus.

"You're a cataphile?" she gasped, pointing at her boyfriend with an accusing finger.

"What?" His lips curved in a frown and his eyes glinted with confusion.

"A cataphile! Someone who hangs out down in these subterranean tunnels. Which is illegal! And for good reason! These used to be mines hundreds of years ago! They could collapse at any moment! Oh, it's too dangerous down here! We could get caught too!" Melody nervously bit down onto her thumbnail and whipped her head from side to side, as though she expected police to start leaping from the shadows and throwing the cuffs on her.

"Cataphile?" Castiel scoffed, still stuck on that and seemingly not caring in the least about anything else she said. "That's what they call us? That's weird. Makes it sound gross."

"That's not the point," Melody heaved in exasperation and urgently gestured with her hands. "It's illegal to be down here, and it's dangerous. We should go back right now!"

He chuckled and ruffled her hair. "You must be your parents' dream come true. But look, it's safe, okay? I've been down here a million times. Besides, we still have to catch that movie."

Melody blushed and uncertainly looked back up to the ladder. "It's still against the law and it's really dark down here..."

"We aren't hurting anybody and it gets lighter. You're gonna have fun, trust me."

She did trust him. Sighing, she placed her hand in his and waved her other in defeat. "Fine. Lead the way, Mr. Criminal."

Castiel snickered and curled his hand firmly around hers. He led her down the tunnel, which grew lighter and lighter until he made a turn and the next one was actually strung with electric lightbulbs. Melody was mystified as to how they got power down here. The faint hint of cooking vegetables she had thought she smelled grew stronger and more tantalizing. At the end of the lit tunnel was a room bustling with people and lined with various furniture, from armchairs to sofas, to beanbag chairs scattered all around.

"This is amazing," she breathed in awe.

"Now aren't you glad we didn't turn back?"

Melody didn't reply. She was too wrapped up in studying every aspect of the peculiar setting, from the furniture, to the people on it, to the projector, to the movie screen on the wall.

"The movie's about to start," Castiel told her and broke her out of her stupefied scrutiny. "You go find us a seat and I'll grab us a plate of couscous."

"Alright," Melody replied, smile turning up her lips and bouncing in her tone. She gave his hand a squeeze and they they parted ways. Most of the larger pieces of furniture were taking, so she staked claim to a beanbag chair only just big enough for the two of them. That was frankly totally fine with her, since she wanted to be as close to him as possible anyway. He found her with ease just before the film started, plate of couscous in hand.

To Melody's pleasant surprise, the movie wasn't a current one. It was an old noir right out the fifties. It really suited the mood and the unusual environment, and Melody found that illegal or not, she couldn't have been any more elated.

* * *

The first time she saw him cry was painful.

They shared his couch one cloudy Saturday afternoon, shoulder to shoulder. Melody had the remote and casually surfed through the channels. She just passed a news station when Castiel went completely rigid beside her.

"Go back!"

"Huh?" She looked to Castiel uncertainly, startled by how white he'd gone.

He shook his head quickly and shakily snatched the remote from her, switching back to the news station. The current topic the well-dressed news anchor was reporting was an airplane crash caught on camera by some onlooker's cellphone. The aircraft took a nosedive due to engine failure and apparently there were no survivors. It was an awful tragedy, but Melody had no clue why her boyfriend would be so spooked about it.

"That's the airline my parents work for," Castiel mumbled in answer to her unspoken question, hands trembling so badly he dropped the remote.

Understanding hit her like an a-bomb. "Oh my god!"

He didn't say anything else, he was just pale and staring wide-eyed at the television.

Melody exhaled slowly and tried to think about this rationally. Her thoughts were racing, but she always had a way of being practical, it was her nature. "But Castiel, wouldn't the management contact you if something happened to your parents? Or is there a number you can call to ask?"

He looked to her, incomprehensible for a few seconds before giving a slow nod. "You're right, they probably would...And I have the service number...Um, where's my phone?"

Man, he was startled. His phone was right there on the coffee table, and he didn't even notice it. Melody wordlessly picked it up and held it out to him. His shaking fingers closed around the case, but to her surprise, he put it back down.

"I need a cigarette," he declared and stood up, shuffling around until he located a pack and lighter in his jacket. Melody normally made a point of expressing her distaste for the bad habit, but now she simply kept quiet. He was stalling and she knew he was stalling because he was nervous (nervous was an understatement).

Castiel paced the room in tight circles, cigarette smoke swirling and drifting to the ceiling.

He crushed the butt against the table and then picked up the phone again, stone-faced as he searched through his contacts. Melody absently wrung her hands as he apparently found the the correct number. Evidently someone on the other end picked up, because he asked everything that needed to be asked, but the one-sided snippets of conversation Melody got were curt and not indicative of anything.

The call couldn't have been any longer than thirty seconds and upon hanging up, Castiel immediately turned away and fumbled to get the pack of cigarettes out of his jacket again. "I freaked for no reason," he said before Melody could ask. "They're on some other flight to Cambodia." The cigarette slipped from his grasp and fell to the carpet, and Castiel didn't bother to pick it up. His shoulders hunched and he pressed his forehead to the wall, muttering a barely audible "shit."

Melody dubiously got up from the sofa and padded over. "Is everything alright?"

"Yeah," came the choked reply from beneath the veil of scarlet. "For a second there, I just thought..." A faint, reluctant sniffle.

She hummed quietly in understanding and picked up the cigarette, silently putting it into his grasp.

He held it for a moment and then stepped back from the wall, brusquely brushing away the droplets in his eyes. "Thanks." He put the cigarette to his lips and she then passed him the lighter as well.

"You're welcome."

He lit it and returned to the couch, and just like that the matter was dropped. It seemed to Melody that for the rest of the day he held her a little closer than usual.

* * *

They had their first real fight. The saddest thing is that Melody honestly doesn't even remember how it started. Something about a cigarette, maybe (probably not)?

"You're immature!" Melody accused through the blinding tears, fists shaking with fury and hurt. "You're so immature and you're so careless, and that's going to come back and hurt you, and I am not going to be there when it does!"

"I'm immature!? I'm immature!? Look at yourself!" Castiel spat, eyes smoldering with outrage and effectively scalding her on the inside. "You're crying like a baby! You're so clingy it's fucking suffocating! You think I need you!? Don't make me laugh! You're the one who needs me! I need you about as much as I need a bloodsucking leech on my back! Oh wait, that's exactly what you are!"

Breath catching in her throat and skin stinging with the insults, Melody wheeled around and started for the door. She didn't need this.

"Leaving? Good, I'm sick of looking at you!"

She whirled back around, tears flying from her eyes and hand striking before she could stop herself. She slapped him right across the face.

Castiel took a single step back, cheek reddening and eyes narrowing. "Get out of my house." His tone was alarming level.

"I was already on my way," she snapped angrily. And with that, she stomped out and held herself as she plodded home and had no idea if she had a boyfriend anymore.

* * *

Thankfully, with the first real fight came the first real make up.

Two days after the argument Melody couldn't recall the origin of, she found herself in a music shop and browsing with her finger to her lips. She wanted to apologize to Castiel and she thought a little gift might help her do that. Just something small, like a keychain or a guitar pick, or a...box of guitar picks? Melody saw one sitting on the clearance shelf and picked it about.

A set of fifteen guitar picks for two dollars. Black, red, gray, and white ones with various designs. That seemed appropriate, and something he could use. Not that she expected a set of guitar picks to heal the gaping wound in their relationship. She feared that was irreparable, even though to her it seemed ridiculous that one little fight could ruin months of something great. But it didn't_ feel_ like one little fight at all.

Her fingers tightened defensively around the package. She was parasite to him, apparently. The insult still stung and scraped her heart with invisible barbs. But she hadn't exactly been nice to him either, so an apology from her was in order. Maybe he would apologize too. If not...Well...Melody wasn't going to spend time thinking about what that might mean. Now she was just going to buy the gift and get to school.

She paid accordingly and ducked out of the store, managing to catch the bus in time. She always went to school a little early. Not quite as early as Nathaniel, but she liked to be there before classes started all the same, where she could make sure she had everything in order and make corrections if she didn't. Also, throughout Melody's life she had discovered that no matter what you were doing, nine times out of ten you would finish early if you started early. So she started early with almost everything.

Come to think of it, that was one vast difference between herself and Castiel. She made every effort to conserve time and be prepared, and do things early. He didn't. He treated time like it never ran out, prepared sloppily if at all, and was late in and for just about everything that didn't appeal to him. Did that make them incompatible? _Probably_, she thought logically. _Probably not_, she hoped.

She got off at her stop and walked the short distance to school, pushing the doors open and holding both the apology gift and her schoolbag close to her chest. As she walked down the hall, she was stunned to discover someone else was already at her locker.

"Hey," Castiel greeted quietly, waving a little.

"H-Hi," Melody quickened her pace to her locker, surprised more than anything. "This is unusually early for you..."

"Yeah. I uh, wanted to apologize for the other night. You...You're not a leech, okay? I should've have said that. Or anything I said before that." He held out a scarlet and ivory box he'd been holding behind his back, no bigger than a pencil case. "Here," he sighed. "I know it doesn't make up for anything, but still."

Melody set down the shopping bag and adjusted her schoolbag over her shoulder, taking the box with unsure fingers. She lifted the lid and breathed a mild gasp of surprise. "White chocolate with raspberries in the middle. They're my favorite." Warmth trickled in and slowly curled around her hurt. This was high class chocolate, she knew. He must've paid at least five dollars for it.

"Yeah, I remembered that." His lips twitched in a small, fleeting smile.

"I want to apologize too," she breathed. "You're not immature. And hitting you...Well, that _was_ immature." Melody reached into the shopping bag and pulled out the set of guitar picks, offering it to him with a saddened, timid smile of her own. "I got something for you too. I'm not sure if you can use them or not, but even so."

"Of course I can use them," he said and took the set from her, fingers brushing hers so slightly and unintentionally and familiarly that Melody felt a little like crying. "Thanks."

"Thank you too," she murmured.

"No problem." Castiel shuffled back a few steps, sneakers scuffling on the floor. "So are we, um, still...?"

"I hope," Melody sputtered. "I mean, I still really, really, really like you and I don't want to break—"

He silenced her with a hug. A very tight, warm hug that reassured her more than anything else could have. She returned the embrace and squeezed him tightly, nestling her face into his shoulder and inhaling the assuring scent of leather.

* * *

It went without saying that Castiel would often try to yank her out of her comfort zone and get her to do things she didn't want to do. Illegally dipping underground and watching a movie that was probably stolen was one of those such things. Melody was surprised to find that these things turned out to be, well, fun! Enjoyable. But as always, there are firsts.

There was a first time one of these things she was initially wary of turned out to be a bad idea.

School was letting out in ten minutes and they were in the (empty) gymnasium, locked in a passionate embrace with the expected ass-groping, saliva exchange, and frustrated tugging at each other's clothes. As the generally more responsible of the two, it was Melody who broke away and pointedly released her boyfriend's pleasurably firm buns.

"Let's not do this until we're at your place, okay? Otherwise it's like teasing and we're going to drive each other nuts." Melody smiled sheepishly and patted Castiel on the shoulder.

"You know, Melody...There's never anybody in the locker room around this time." His lips quirked deviously.

"Well no, I would think not, but what does that..." She trailed off as the realization of what he was saying hit her like a ton of bricks. "No! No, that's gross! And totally against the rules! Do you know what they'd do if we got caught?"

"C'mon," he urged, giving her that indescribable look of his that she had so much trouble refusing. "It'll be fun."

"No." Melody crossed her arms and pivoted around with her back to him so she wouldn't have to face that look anymore.

It wasn't really the wisest move on her part. Castiel loosely took her around the waist from behind and nuzzled into the crook of her neck, nipping and lapping at the sensitive flesh in a way he knew drove her wild.

"F-Fine," Melody exhaled. "Fine, but just this one time," she told him sharply (she tried to be sharp anyway, he was making it difficult). "This isn't going to b-become..." Darn it! She couldn't even concentrate when he was doing that! She pulled out of his embrace and freed herself of the cruelly exciting seduction tactic, whirling around on her heel. "This isn't going to become a routine! This is a one time thing!"

"Whatever you say," Castiel purred and then his lips were on hers again and his hands were everywhere and Melody was eagerly reciprocating despite herself. The walk to the locker room took twice as long as long as it should have, because it was hard to walk when you were smooching and grabbing and indulging in each other.

Melody practically fell into the locker room with Castiel on her heels, his greedy fingers already pulling up her shirt and his mouth on her neck again while she shivered with ecstasy.

Someone that wasn't either of them squeaked/gasped against the wall of lockers and Melody turned just in time to see Violette yank the hat off of Kim's head and use it to shield her bare breasts.

"Oh my gosh!" Melody untangled herself from Castiel and rapidly staggered to the side.

"Do you two mind?!" Kim snapped, neck craning as she shot them a glare of lime fury. She was topless and kneeling before a completely naked Violette, who stood against the lockers. Her hands were firm on the smaller girl's hips and her head thankfully censored Violette's lower region.

"Shit, sorry! We're sorry," Castiel stammered as he wheeled around and took Melody by the wrist, scampering from the room with her in tow.

"You better be," Kim called after them. "Learn to knock on the door before you just go barging in!"

They hastily fled back to the gymnasium and Melody could still feel flames incinerating her cheeks.

"There's never anybody in the locker room, huh," she scolded, cerulean glower trained on Castiel as she straightened her wrinkled clothes.

He offered her a flushed, guilty smile. "My bad."

"Your bad alright," she muttered pointedly and that was the end of that conversation. Melody would never be able to see the locker room the same way again.

* * *

Just like Castiel urged Melody to do things she didn't want to do, she turned around and urged him to do things he didn't want to do. However, being that he was infinitely more stubborn than she was, her urging was silent and unassuming. For example, the time when she stealthily stole his pack of cigarettes, threw it in the trash, and then replaced it with a pack of gum. Or the time his kitchen was cluttered but he wouldn't clean it, so she discreetly tipped over the trashcan and left him no choice.

But there was a first time when her urging wasn't as covert. It went just about as well as his idea of intimacy in the locker room.

"You haven't participated in the basketball club in over a month," she told him during lunchtime with a frown tucking down the corners of her lips.

"I joined," he grunted. "That's participation enough."

"The school doesn't see it that way," she protested. "If you don't participate soon, Nathaniel's going to make me yell at you and you're going to get a detention."

"Nathaniel isn't going to make _you_ yell at me. He's going to make _Lynn_ yell at me. She's everybody's butt monkey around here."

"The point isn't who's going to yell at you," she stressed. "You shouldn't get yelled at and you shouldn't get a detention. There's a game tonight, you know. Why don't you play, please? For me? I don't want to see you get in trouble."

"No."

"Please? Just tonight? They'll leave you alone for another two months."

"No."

Melody folded her arms over her chest. "Then you'll get a detention tomorrow. Tomorrow's Friday, we have a date," she reminded him sharply.

"Then I'll skip detention."

"Then you'll get suspended," she sighed. "It's just one game. It won't kill you." She gave him a soft, pleading smile.

"...Fine," he muttered.

"Great. Just remember to pop in the gym and tell Mr. Boris!" She kissed his cheek and merrily went back to the student council room with a skip in her step. Melody went to all the school's events, basketball games included. Even if she wasn't exactly a sporty girl, she liked to be there to show some spirit and as a class delegate, she felt it was her duty. Games were also a great time to get work done.

She'd sit in the back of the bleachers with a book on her lap to study or complete homework until whichever team won. Tonight was no exception. She settled herself comfortably on the bleachers next to Iris and reviewed her notes on the French Revolution, skimming through the pages of her history book to add any details she might've missed.

She was only partly paying attention to the game, occasionally picking out her boyfriend from the cluster of bright jerseys, because hey, he looked good in those shorts.

"I think we're going to win," Iris happily chirped at one point, keeping track of the score as Melody kept track of history.

"That's great," Melody replied. She continued minding her homework until the sharp cut of a whistle startled her from her concentration, Mr. Boris loudly calling a 'foul.' Her head snapped right up and her stomach twisted, because it was Castiel on the laminated floor.

"Son of a bitch," he snarled, awkwardly hiking himself up to a stand and indicating a tall player on the opposing team. "I'm gonna kill you!"

"Calm down, Mr. Castiel," Mr. Boris urged, stepping between the two and taking the redhead by the shoulders.

"Screw you, Boris!" Castiel wrenched himself free of the gym teacher's hands and swiveled around, verbally cursing aloud as he limped towards the exit.

"H-Hey! That's Mr. Boris to you!" He uncertainly started to follow and Melody quickly hopped down from the bleachers, briskly skittering over.

"I'll handle him," she assured the teacher sweetly and then hurried out of the gym to do just that. She caught up with Castiel in the hallway and took a breath, putting a hand on his shoulder.

He met her gaze, still seething though thankfully simmered enough not to take it out on her. "You see that bullshit?"

"I saw after," she replied softly. "Are you okay?"

"Fine," he answered curtly.

"You're limping..."

"Walking it off," he corrected. "I landed wrong, that's all."

"Are you sure? I could get you an ice pack from the office." Melody felt guilty, of course. She was the one who asked him to participate.

"I'm sure," he muttered with enough bite behind it for her to know he was hurting and irritated and she shouldn't press him. Just like she shouldn't have pressed him earlier.

"I'm sorry," she breathed. "Earlier today, I should've just taken no for answer."

"Eh, it's okay. I'm just once again reminded why I never do anything they ask me to."

Melody wasn't sure what to say to that, so she just sighed and kissed his cheek.

* * *

Then there was the first time they went on a date without even trying.

Melody clutched her purse tightly as she hopped onto the bus and deposited her fee. She carried a can of pepper spray with her, as it was late at night and she didn't want to take chances. As she walked down the aisle searching for a seat, a familiar tomato-topped head caught her eye.

"Castiel!"

Castiel sat near the back, sharing the seat with a sleeping Lysander who used his shoulder as a pillow. He turned his head, grin pulling at his lips as he saw her. "Hey!"

Melody shuffled over and sat on the end of the seat. "What a coincidence." She kept her tone low, as not to wake Lysander.

"Oh, you don't have to be quiet," Castiel told her immediately with an amused chuckle. "He's out hard. That's the funny thing about Lysander, he's got two sleep settings. One where he sleeps like a rabbit and the smallest thing'll wake him up, and the other where he's practically dead. It's easy to tell the difference, 'cause when he's really out he drools."

Melody peeked around and saw that Lysander was indeed drooling all over her boyfriend's shoulder. It was odd to see him like that when he normally gave off such a refined air. Melody giggled and leaned back into the seat. "It's kind of cute."

"Trying to make me jealous?" Castiel teased, brow raising. He then patted his lap and Melody eagerly took the invitation, as it looked far more comfortable than the corner of seat she was occupying. She put her arms around his neck and snuggled into his free shoulder, breathing a sigh of contentment.

"So what are you doing out so late anyway, Mel? It's not like you."

"I'm going to buy milk. What about you?"

"Taking him home." He indicated Lysander with a slight tilt of the head. "The next stop is our stop. You wanna come with?"

"I'd like to, but I really should get that milk."

"I wasn't asking," Castiel informed her. "It's late. You shouldn't be by yourself."

Melody hummed happily and closed her eyes. She loved it when he was sweet like that, without trying. "Alright. But you have to carry the milk."

"Yeah? You know, it's kinda weird that you're going out to buy milk this late anyway." His arm curls around her waist, fingers idly tapping.

Melody didn't reply. She was so comfortable and relaxed that she almost felt like she could fall asleep too. But then the bus jerked to a stop and she unwillingly climbed down from Castiel's lap.

"Alright buddy, time to get up." He nudged Lysander against the window and he stirred, blinking blearily as he stood.

"I had a very surreal dream about flying in a teacup. I'm not sure what it means, but— Oh, hello, Melody." He offered her a ginger smile, bicolored orbs still glazed with sleep.

"Hi," she chirruped and waved in return. They got off the bus and despite Lysander's protests, escorted him all the way back to his apartment. Melody at first also questioned the necessity of this, but as it turns out, in the past Lysander had actually forgotten which room was his and wandered into the wrong one.

"That only happened once," he muttered, pink unfurling in his cheeks.

"Once is enough," Castiel remarked. And Melody politely silenced her giggles.

After making sure he got inside, Castiel turned to her and cocked a brow. "So, is getting that milk now a life or death priority, or do have some time to kill?"

"I might have some time to spare," she warbled coyly.

"Not scared of heights, are you?"

"No."

"C'mon." He took her by the hand and tugged her to the stairwell. It was like when the door closed it sealed off all the small noises, because the only sound at all was their footsteps, going up up up.

"Are we going all the way to the top?" Melody wondered, not quite meaning to ask aloud.

Castiel answered her anyway. "Yup."

"Why didn't we take the elevator then?" she inquired, blinking in bemusement.

"It's not the same," he declared. Somehow, Melody felt he was right about that. She was almost breathless by the time they reached the top. Castiel pushed open the door and led her to the zenith of the building. The crisp night wind smelled as fresh as dew and kissed her skin with sparkles. It whipped her hair back from her face as she walked to the edge, exhaling in awe.

The city lights dazzled beneath her in all shades of neon and gold, people as small as fleas and the sounds below swept away by the wind's song. The wispy gray clouds above her were only just out of reach and the moon was a silver cat's claw in the sky. She saw its shine in Castiel's eyes.

"It's wonderful up here," she exclaimed. The rush Melody had was a weightless one, like she could step off the edge and flutter down on the breeze like a slip of paper.

"I thought you'd like it," said Castiel, looking every bit as free as she felt, features relaxed and hair blown back.

"I love it," she laughed. Then she was the one to take his hand and pull him to the very edge. His lips tasted like the air and the swirling wind could have very well could've carried them away.


End file.
